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The Early Years Alliance has issued a comment in response to research published by the Local Government Association (LGA) which found that nearly nine in 10 councils are concerned that early years setting closures this year will undermine capacity ahead of the rollout of the government’s extension of the 30 hours free childcare scheme.

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

“It is frankly unbelievable that the government wants to expand the 30-hour offer at a time that the sector is facing its most challenging time in decades. 

“We know that settings are already closing at an alarming rate, with �°������ϲʹ������� data released less than a week ago showing that nearly 5,000 settings closed in the last year alone. 

“We have no doubt therefore, that, in its current form, expanding the so-called ‘free childcare’ offers will only lead to further closures – and that rather than making it easier for parents to access high-quality early education and care, it will only make it harder.  

“The only way that this expansion won’t result in complete disaster is if the government effectively engages with the sector when determining how the expansion will work in practice and, critically, ensures that the funding provided not only meets the costs of delivering places, but also encourages settings to grow to meet any increased demand.  

“Anything less will not only result in total failure of plans to the extended offers, but also seal the fate for thousands more settings across the country.”